BOLTON, Mass. — Both because he’s a well-spoken, respected member of the Bruins, and because he happens to be the team’s yearly leader in fighting majors, Bruins forward Shawn Thornton was asked today about the tragedies of this summer in hockey.

Rick Rypien, Wade Belak and Derek Boogaard have all passed away during the offseason under varying circumstances, yet many have lumped them together because they all to different degrees played a role similar to Thornton’s on their respective teams.

Here’s what Thornton eloquently said about that:

“It kind of [expletive] pisses me off that people take this opportunity to try and exploit a certain part of the game. I think those are very, very sad instances, but I don’t think taking it as an opportunity to exploit part of the game is the way to go. Remember the people, the men they were, not what they did for a living.”

At the risk of pandering to a player that no one in the media would ever say an ill word about because of his affable persona off the ice that complements his work ethic on the sheet, Thornton really hit the nail on the proverbial head. There’s certainly room for debate about the role of fighting in hockey and there should be discussion about head injuries, depression and all sorts of things that might adversely affect current and former NHL players.

But the knee-jerk reaction to use the three deaths as a reason to ban fighting is ridiculous. And grouping them together is outrageous. These were three men who played in the NHL to make a living. They fought. In some instances, they fought a lot. But they all had different lives away from the rink. They went through different experiences and came from different walks of life and had different genetic makeups.

It [expletive] pisses me off too. I hope people start to reflect on those three players as people and remember them for what they were instead of using them as fodder to advance their political notions and ambitions.

…well said Shawn,that’s eactly what certain people are trying to do,exploit the tragedies to push their own agenda.NEVER, should these people be lumped together.What if they were all left wingers,would they lumped together as such?….didn’t think so..

They’re sad happenings for sure, but to classify them as the same or connected is irresponsible and to use them as a means to an end for someone’s agenda is immoral, in my opinion. I can see how some pundits connect them and use them a rallying cry to take fighting out of the game, the coincidental dots are there, but they are neglecting to look at the hundreds of other “enforcers” that have played in the league between the 70’s and now that haven’t had the same issues and unfortunate demises. A very small pattern in a short span of time one in sample size much larger does not indicate a trend.

The only problem with Thornton’s analysis is that tough guys have a really hard time seeking out professional assistance because they do not want to be perceived as “weak” and sometimes end up in tragic circumstances.

Amen Shawn. I had this very conversation with a friend who doesn’t know the first thing about hockey. He asked if I thought fighting would be eliminated from the game because of these three deaths. So the spin is working. People who don’t follow the game or even understand it are now talking about these three men as if their deaths were related somehow? Depression and substance abuse are societal problems. These men had these problems because they are part of our society. Now the situation might be more acute because they are athletes and within that part of society admitting you are depressed or have a substance abuse problem is viewed as a weakness. However the role they played in the game has little or nothing to do with how they died.
I am willing to bet that nation wide lots Walmart employees accidentally over-dosed/killed themselves this summer too. And I bet at least 3 of them worked in the same department albeit at different stores. Are their deaths linked because they all did the same job? Or are they linked because they all had issues that they couldn’t handle? Just like these three players, with all the same pressures and problems of modern, life they found a way to make the problems stop. That is the story. Depression and mental health issues are very real. I only hope that the message that we need to start to face that reality isn’t lost in the spin of get fighting out of the game.
And for the record I wouldn’t be upset at all if someday there is no fighting in hockey. Do I foresee that coming to fruition in my lifetime:NO. But to link fighting to the deaths of these three men is doing a grave disservice to their memories, their careers and to anyone who is living with a mental health related issue.